Saving Alice
Sex, Snakes, and Shattered Mirrors
He played with the ends of my hair, his hands twisting the dark strands. Soon though, they were wondering, over my shoulders, across my stomach, down to my hips.
“You’re beautiful.” He murmured against my skin, “You’re perfect.”
Beautiful perfect people don’t resort to this.. I thought in my mind, but I kept my mouth closed.
He could call me what he wished, as long as he paid.
Sometime later, the man rolled away from me. He took his greed, and the sheets with him, leaving me lying there, bare and exposed. He stood up without a word, and threw a role of money on the mattress beside me. I picked it up and held onto it for dear life, as if it would disappear if I left it out on the bed alone. I stood up shakily, searching the dirty motel room floor for my clothing. The man watched me get dressed, his eyes scouring my body as if I was a meal, and he was starving.
Had he not had enough for one night?
I turned to leave, not even bothering to tell the man goodbye. Oh well, I’m sure it wouldn’t be the last time I’d see him, anyways.
I stepped out from the motel into the cold New York air. Snow covered the sidewalks, a few people were scattered about. Each walking like a stereotypical New Yorker, quickly with their heads bowed down toward the ground. The snow and ice crunched beneath my feet as I made my way to my apartment, just a few blocks over. I turned to take a shortcut through the alley way. There was a young woman and a man standing there, back in the shadows. I kept my head down and walked quickly on past, but even as I walked further and further away, I could still hear her voice.
“Please stop. Please. I’m begging you.” She whimpered. “Don’t do this.”
I threw the girl a look over my shoulder. She was so young. She looked so terrified.
“Hey.” I called, turning. “Hey you.”
It was a stupid thing to do, but hell, I'm known for doing stupid things.
The man turned and stared at me, his eyes appraising me like so many others had before.
“Well hello there, gorgeous. Have we met before?”
I took another look at the girl and then shot the man a coy smile. “No, I think I’d remember you.”
The man took a step towards me. His eyes shining with a new found lust, and his teeth bared in a shark-like smile.
The girl took one last look at the both of us, and then ran off into the New York streets. For her sake I hope she made it home before another snake like this one found her.
The man turned and watched her go, and then he re-directed his attention back to me.
“Well, look what you did.” He whispered. “You’re going to have to pay for that one.”
That, I didn’t doubt.
***
I woke the next morning in a unfamiliar bedroom. The man from the night before was nowhere in sight, but a large wad of cash was sitting beside me on the night table. Once again I found my clothing, and pocketed the cash. As I turned to leave, something caught my eye. Standing over in the far corner, there was a girl. She looked at me, her big blue eyes wild and terrified, as if she was a baby deer cornered. Her dark hair hung almost to her waist, twisting and turning in a spiral of curls. Her skin was ghostly white, and stretched tight across her bones, which jutted out from weeks spent eating barely anything at all. She looked pathetic. She looked alone. She looked lost, as if she didn’t have a single clue in the world. I picked up a heavy item from the table beside me and threw it at her.
The glass shattered and fragments of the mirror fell about the floor.
I turned to leave, hoping the man wouldn’t miss the mirror much, knowing that, even if he did, it wasn’t like I’d ever see him again, and who knows, maybe I just saved another girl from facing the reality she had become. That made it worth it.
“You’re beautiful.” He murmured against my skin, “You’re perfect.”
Beautiful perfect people don’t resort to this.. I thought in my mind, but I kept my mouth closed.
He could call me what he wished, as long as he paid.
Sometime later, the man rolled away from me. He took his greed, and the sheets with him, leaving me lying there, bare and exposed. He stood up without a word, and threw a role of money on the mattress beside me. I picked it up and held onto it for dear life, as if it would disappear if I left it out on the bed alone. I stood up shakily, searching the dirty motel room floor for my clothing. The man watched me get dressed, his eyes scouring my body as if I was a meal, and he was starving.
Had he not had enough for one night?
I turned to leave, not even bothering to tell the man goodbye. Oh well, I’m sure it wouldn’t be the last time I’d see him, anyways.
I stepped out from the motel into the cold New York air. Snow covered the sidewalks, a few people were scattered about. Each walking like a stereotypical New Yorker, quickly with their heads bowed down toward the ground. The snow and ice crunched beneath my feet as I made my way to my apartment, just a few blocks over. I turned to take a shortcut through the alley way. There was a young woman and a man standing there, back in the shadows. I kept my head down and walked quickly on past, but even as I walked further and further away, I could still hear her voice.
“Please stop. Please. I’m begging you.” She whimpered. “Don’t do this.”
I threw the girl a look over my shoulder. She was so young. She looked so terrified.
“Hey.” I called, turning. “Hey you.”
It was a stupid thing to do, but hell, I'm known for doing stupid things.
The man turned and stared at me, his eyes appraising me like so many others had before.
“Well hello there, gorgeous. Have we met before?”
I took another look at the girl and then shot the man a coy smile. “No, I think I’d remember you.”
The man took a step towards me. His eyes shining with a new found lust, and his teeth bared in a shark-like smile.
The girl took one last look at the both of us, and then ran off into the New York streets. For her sake I hope she made it home before another snake like this one found her.
The man turned and watched her go, and then he re-directed his attention back to me.
“Well, look what you did.” He whispered. “You’re going to have to pay for that one.”
That, I didn’t doubt.
***
I woke the next morning in a unfamiliar bedroom. The man from the night before was nowhere in sight, but a large wad of cash was sitting beside me on the night table. Once again I found my clothing, and pocketed the cash. As I turned to leave, something caught my eye. Standing over in the far corner, there was a girl. She looked at me, her big blue eyes wild and terrified, as if she was a baby deer cornered. Her dark hair hung almost to her waist, twisting and turning in a spiral of curls. Her skin was ghostly white, and stretched tight across her bones, which jutted out from weeks spent eating barely anything at all. She looked pathetic. She looked alone. She looked lost, as if she didn’t have a single clue in the world. I picked up a heavy item from the table beside me and threw it at her.
The glass shattered and fragments of the mirror fell about the floor.
I turned to leave, hoping the man wouldn’t miss the mirror much, knowing that, even if he did, it wasn’t like I’d ever see him again, and who knows, maybe I just saved another girl from facing the reality she had become. That made it worth it.